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First green development launched - 14 March 2008

Rozelle Green Village - the first eco-friendly security village to be registered with the SA Green Building Association - will offer residents sustainable living and the benefits of renewable energy, in a rural setting located just outside of Wellington in the Western Cape.

Director and architect of iBuild Properties, Adriaan Pretorius, conceptualized and designed Rozelle Green Village based on extensive ‘green living’ research conducted in Australia.

“Australia’s green building industry is a world leader. There are eco-villages and green buildings, particularly in Sydney and Queensland, which are totally independent of any municipal service or installation.

Green building has also been wholeheartedly embraced by the Australian people. The Green Building Council of Australia has released numbers showing that sales figures and the increase in value of green residential developments in Australia are higher than those of standard developments,” says Pretorius.

“Being close in climate, terrain and to some extent culture, South Africa stands to learn a lot from Australia in terms of green building,” he says.

Electricity in Rozelle Green Village will be sourced from Solar Panels, which will prevent interruptions in power supply. State of the art geysers providing solar heated water will be installed and all houses will be provided with free, filtered rain water. All waste water will be thoroughly filtered and turned into grey water which will be used for the garden and purposes other than drinking.

Each house has been designed to fit with the architectural heritage of the area, with elements that allow the homes to capitalize on certain climatic elements.

Pretorius explains that the houses are positioned to use the summer breezes for ventilation and cooling or to capture the warmth of the winter sun. Roof overhangs of different depths will protect the house from the mid-summer sun, but will allow mid-winter sun to penetrate the windows, whilst encouraging lighter interiors.

Nate Taylor of Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty says that independent power and water supplies are a particularly desirable commodity in the current climate.

“The shift towards greener living has been accelerated by South Africa’s power and water shortages.

Also, from an investment point of view, promising figures released in Australia show that green properties appreciate in value faster than regular properties.

Rozelle Green Village will set the standard for green developments in South Africa,” says Taylor.